Internet growth and use continues to rapidly accelerate as the Internet grows in importance throughout the world. The Internet allows businesses, groups, and individuals to communicate and conduct business electronically. Communication takes place over the Internet in a variety of different ways. For example, businesses and individuals are establishing web pages and home pages that contain a variety of information and are accessible to other Internet users ("users") throughout the world. Users may also communicate with one another through the exchange of files, such as electronic mail ("e-mail") files, and through participation in discussion groups on any number of available topics.
The Internet, which is also referred to as the World Wide Web, is an interconnection of computer servers ("servers") located throughout the world. Internet servers may exchange information or web pages with one another using a protocol known as hypertext transport protocol ("HTTP"). Web pages are stored on the Internet servers and may be communicated to any other server using HTTP. Users may access the Internet from virtually anywhere in the world by interconnecting with one of the Internet servers using a client, such as a personal computer. A user accesses a web page by entering a uniform resource locator ("URL") which identifies a particular web page stored on an Internet server. The term "web page" is used herein to mean any computer file capable of being provided through a computer network to a client, processed, and then displayed. The web page is then communicated from the Internet server, where it is stored, to the server where the client is connected. The web page is then communicated to the client. In this manner, information can be easily disseminated throughout the world. Each web page on the World Wide Web has its own unique URL.
Generally, a user accesses the Internet by executing a "web browser" or "parser" program locally at the client and interconnecting to the server of an Internet service provider. The interconnection may use any of a variety of communication links such as a local telephone communication link or a dedicated communication link. The web browser is a computer program that allows the client to exchange information with the Internet. Any of a variety of web browsers are available, such as NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR, MICROSOFT EXPLORER, NCSA MOSAIC, and others that allow users to conveniently access and navigate the Internet using a graphical user interface. Web browsers receive web pages in a format or language understandable by a web browser, such as Hypertext Markup Language ("HTML"). Web browsers interpret the web pages and generate a corresponding display of the web pages using a graphical user interface.
Some web pages include on-screen forms, including fill-in text boxes, option buttons, radio buttons, and drop-down list boxes that allow a user to interact with a web page. The information provided in these forms may be used as input to a program executing at the server where the web page is stored so that an output web page may be generated in response. NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR, MICROSOFT EXPLORER, and NCSA MOSAIC are known as "forms-capable browsers" because they can interpret HTML code which provides these forms.
Still other web browsers are script-enabled browsers, such as JAVASCRIPT-enabled browsers, and are capable of interpreting HTML web pages that include embedded script within the HTML code. The embedded-script code is interpreted by a script-enabled browser at the client for enhanced processing capability.
Web page designers are able to use the HTML language and scripting languages such as JAVASCRIPT to create web pages or home pages that may be displayed at a client running a web browser. Each web page is assigned a unique address or URL so that users of the Internet may access a desired web page by entering its URL. Many web pages also provide various graphical icons that, if selected, will automatically access another web page. While other web pages include graphical icons that, if selected, will execute a program at a server that generates an output as a web page in HTML format. This output can then be displayed like any other web page. In this manner, users may conveniently navigate the Internet by simply using their mouse and "clicking" on a graphical icon or a link that will automatically take them to a desired web page.
The popularity of the Internet and computers in general has increased the demand for personnel trained in the computer sciences to serve as system administrators. System administrators are responsible for the operation of multiuser computer systems, such as Internet servers. A system administrator of an Internet server is sometimes referred to as a Webmaster.
System administrators perform such duties as assigning user accounts and passwords, establishing security access levels, and allocating storage space, as well as being responsible for other tasks such as watching for unauthorized access and preventing virus programs from entering the system. System administrators are also in charge of correcting and recovering from any system failures, such as mass storage failures and memory failures, and returning the system back to normal operation.
With society's increased reliance on computers and the Internet, system administrators must be available around the clock to correct any system problems and return the system to normal as quickly as possible in the event of system problems or failure. Often, system problems may be detected before a system crashes. If a system administrator is made aware of these problems, corrective action can often be taken to avoid a catastrophic system crash.
The around-the-clock operation of an Internet server is especially critical to businesses that conduct business over the Internet with customers throughout the world. Substantial dollars may be lost if a business's web pages are not available around-the-clock so that customers throughout the world cannot conveniently order a product or retrieve needed information. Problems arise when system administrators go on vacation or are not physically located at the site of the server. System administrators have attempted to solve this problem by using communication programs, such as PROCOMM PLUS by DATASTORM TECHNOLOGIES, INC., and a personal computer with a modem so that the system administrator may directly connect to the Internet server from a remote location and perform any needed server maintenance or repair.
This solution has proven troublesome for several reasons. First, the specialized communication software may not be available to the system administrator at all times, such as when the system administrator is on vacation or when the system administrator's personal computer or notebook computer fails. Second, it is often still necessary to set up and initialize communication software at the server and ensure that the communication software and modem is operational to receive incoming calls. This still requires the physical presence of personnel at the server at a time when personnel may be unavailable. Additionally, remote access using a communication program often involves using a telephone system where expensive long distance telephone fees are incurred. These problems may prevent a system administrator, physically located away from the server, from performing critical operations that are needed to keep the server up and running.